Immigration for Foreign Workers | Macropus Immigration & Visa Services

Immigration for foreign workers

Over the past few years, (IRCC, formerly CIC) and Employment and Social Development Canada have streamlined the process of hiring workers from abroad and made it increasingly time-efficient.

A foreign worker is a temporary resident who is legally allowed to work in Canada on a temporary basis. Employers looking for global talent markets can now hire foreign workers, both temporary and permanently to fill temporary labour and skill shortages. Now, the Canadian government offers a full-time job to support a skilled worker’s immigration to Canada, hire a foreign worker or offer a paid internship to a permanent resident or new citizen of Canada.

Foreign workers can now be hired by Canadian employers through Express Entry to meet the labour needs when the employer cannot find Canadians or permanent residents to fill job vacancies.

The hiring of a temporary foreign worker begins with employers requesting Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) for a positive LMIA. Without an approved LMIA, Citizenship and Immigration Canada cannot issue a work permit.

The LMIA assessment includes verifying whether the foreign worker fills a labour shortage, whether the employer has advertised the job on the national Job Bank, and whether wages offered are commensurate with what Canadians or permanent immigrants are earning for similar work.

In addition to this, for low-skilled foreign workers – for jobs that require no more than a high school diploma or up to two years of on-the-job training – employers must sign a contract with the worker outlining wages and working conditions. The contract must also indicate that the employer will pay for travel costs from the home country and back, will not recoup recruitment costs from the worker, will help the worker find suitable and affordable housing, and will provide medical coverage until the worker is eligible for provincial health coverage.

Immigration options for Foreign Workers

If you would like to migrate to Canada as a foreign worker you have to get hired as a new worker from abroad and you must apply through one of the following:

Express Entry System

There are three federal economic immigration programs processed through the Express Entry system:

• Federal Skilled Worker
  If your intended employee has work experience in a skilled occupation, as determined by the National Occupational Classification (NOC) system, and you have not been able to fill an open job position locally, you, as a Canadian employer, may be able to hire him or her through Express Entry under the Federal Skilled Worker Class.

• Canadian Experience Class
  If you have been employing foreign workers on a temporary basis and wish to offer them full-time employment, they may qualify for Canadian immigration under the Canadian Experience Class.

• Federal Skilled Trades Program 
  The Federal Skilled Trades Class is for individuals who want to become permanent residents of Canada based on being qualified in a skilled trade. If you, as a Canadian employer hiring skilled tradespersons, wish to hire internationally having been unable to do so locally, you may be able to hire employees through this program.

Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program

Atlantic Immigration Pilot

The Atlantic provinces and federal government are working together on immigration programs to meet your needs and the region’s needs. If you are an employer in the Atlantic region, you can hire skilled workers and international student graduates who want to permanently live in one of the Atlantic provinces:

• New Brunswick
• Newfoundland and Labrador
• Nova Scotia
• Prince Edward Island

Provincial Nominee Program

The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) provides an accelerated process for skilled and/or experienced workers, experienced business persons and their family members who want to settle permanently in a particular province of Canada. If you choose to immigrate to Canada as a provincial nominee, you must first apply to the province where you wish to settle and complete its provincial nomination process. Nominees are then able to apply for Permanent Resident status. It is one of the most accessed program by the immigrants and also an important fast-track option Canadian Permanent residence.  Each province and territory has its own “streams” (immigration programs that target certain groups) and criteria for their Provincial Nominee Program specific to their needs, to recruit workers from abroad who intend to settle as permanent residents in a given province or territory.

Temporary Work Permit

In order to work in Canada on a temporary basis, most foreign workers require a work permit. A Temporary Work Permit may be issued for a period of time ranging from a few days to a few years. In most cases, the process of applying for a Work Permit is twofold. First, the Canadian employer must receive government permission to hire outside Canada. Once this permission has been granted, the designated employee must apply for and receive his or her Work Permit.

Interested in applying for Canadian Work Permit? Contact us today!